Robert Kraft, the owner of the NFL Super Bowl champions New England Patriots, was charged with two counts of soliciting a prostitute in a police sting on a Jupiter, Florida, massage parlour, police said yesterday.
Kraft, 77, is among more than two dozen people charged in the investigation, which was focused on possible human trafficking, Jupiter Police Chief Robert Kerr said.
Among the 25 people taken into custody were the two proprietors of Orchids of Asia Day Spa, police said.
Gathered evidence
Authorities have gathered video evidence showing the acts in question for each suspect, including Kraft, police officials said. Kraft, who was charged with two misdemeanours, is accused of visiting the business on two separate occasions to solicit sex.
A spokesman for Kraft and the Patriots, Aaron Salkin, said in a statement, “We categorically deny that Mr. Kraft engaged in any illegal activity. Because it is a judicial matter, we will not be commenting further.”
A spokesman for the National Football League did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kraft, who made his fortune buying out and building up his father-inlaw’s product-packaging business, is worth $6.6 billion, according to Forbes magazine. (Reuters)
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
